Two men jailed over horsemeat fraud

The sentencing of two men to imprisonment for defrauding consumers by labelling meat products containing horsemeat as beef sends out a clear signal that food crime will not be tolerated, says the FSA.

Andronicos Sideras, owner of Dinos and Sons Ltd, and Ulrich Nielsen of Flexi Foods were sentenced to four years and six months and three years and six months imprisonment respectively at Inner London Crown Court yesterday. A third man, Alex Ostler-Beech, also of Flexi Foods was given an eighteen month suspended sentence.

On a number of occasions Sideras, Nielsen and Ostler-Beech had conspired to mix consignments of beef with horsemeat, falsely labelling it as beef and thereby inflating their profits as a result. Their crime was discovered after an environmental health officer visited a meat manufacturer in Newry, Northern Ireland. The FSA led the investigation before passing the responsibility to the City of London police in 2013.

Heather Hancock, Chairman of the FSA, yesterday said: “The sentencing today is the result of an immense effort by individuals in a multi-agency investigation and, as well as the police, I’d like to highlight the key role played by local authorities in securing the conviction. Today’s sentences should act as a deterrent to those who think they can profit from committing food fraud.”